On the evening of November 23 local time, Inter Miami faced Cincinnati away in the quarterfinals of the 2025 MLS playoffs. Thanks to a goal and three assists from Messi, they ultimately defeated Cincinnati 4-0 to advance to the semifinals.

Inter Miami and Cincinnati traded attacks early on, with Inter frequently creating threats in the opponent's half: In the 5th minute, Messi took a corner from the left, and Matteo Silveti's header inside the box went just wide. In the 12th minute, Evand delivered a lobbed pass, and Bruni's header inside the box was caught by Rocco Rios Novo. In the 15th minute, Kevin Dankai unleashed a long-range shot from the edge of the box, forcing Novo to make a save. In the 19th minute, Silveti chipped a cross from the left edge of the box into the middle, where Messi headed the ball into the net, giving Inter Miami the lead.

After that, both teams missed several scoring opportunities: In the 22nd minute, Ander Echenique dribbled past two players in the penalty area before his shot went just wide of the far post. In the 26th minute, Messi passed the ball to the left side of the penalty area, where Baltasar Rodriguez's unmarked shot was saved by Roman Celentano. In the 27th minute, Busquets' long pass from midfield found the onrushing Messi, whose shot towards the bottom right corner went just wide of the post. At halftime, Inter Miami led 1-0.

However, Inter Miami gradually gained the upper hand after the start of the second half. In the 57th minute, Messi passed the ball to the left wing from the edge of the box, assisting Silveti to score with a powerful shot. In the 62nd minute, Messi again delivered a precise through ball from midfield, allowing Taddeo Allende to score again on a one-on-one. In the 74th minute, Messi again played a through ball from midfield to Allende, who ultimately scored on a one-on-one to seal the victory.

Neither side managed to score again. At the final whistle, Inter Miami secured a resounding 4-0 away victory over Cincinnati.